The Return of the Marauders
by TheNomad112
Summary: TEMP HIATUS FOR REVISION. What if Padfoot HAD been the Secret-Keeper? What might have happened?... Rating just in case. No slash. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter, not me. However, I own the plot of the story.**

Prologue

One choice completely changed the fate of the Wizarding World.

A choice made by James Potter.

It all started on one summer evening, when Dumbledore was looking for a teacher to fill the Divination post. Truth be told, Albus was not sure whether to continue the subject or not, as he had never had the gift himself. It was rather useless, he reflected, trying to teach to someone without the Inner Eye. It was like trying to teach magic to a muggle; they could master the wand movements, memorize the incantations, but without that innate spark of magic, they could not cast spells.

The past Divination professor, in the eyes of his Deputy Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, was a complete and total fraud, often acting overly dramatically. Legilimency had also proved that the woman was pretending to swoon. He had never heard a single true prophecy from the professor, and had been forced to fire her by an irate McGonagall.

"Professor, I simply cannot tolerate this - this fraud!" she shrieked in his office.

He had shaken his head and offered a lemon drop to her.

"A lemon drop? At this time?! Albus, we need to take serious action! We should drop the course, altogether!"

"Hmm… Minerva, I think that, instead of removing it totally, we could simply run a test for second years wishing to take Divination as an elective. This test would check for the Inner Eye, and students showing potential would be allowed to take Divination. After all, we simply cannot have students taking the class as an easy O, can we?"

"Yes, Albus, that sounds superb. Well, thank you, but I must check on my Gryffindors. Good night." With that, McGonagall had left the office.

After the meeting, Albus had received a letter responding to the job offer from a certain Sybill Trelawney. He had heard her grandmother, Cassandra, was a famous Seer that truly had the Inner Eye, often undergoing trances. According to a master Legilimens, he could not read her mind at all when she had gone into her trance, instead receiving sharp pains to the head and feeling the effects of a brain fog. He replied, saying yes, I would like to meet you. Perhaps, the Hog's Head?

And now, he was walking towards the old pub. He yawned, disconcerted at the sudden shift between memories and real life, and continued onwards.

O

Two hours later, Dumbledore was disappointed with what he had seen. The woman was obviously lacking the Inner Eye, and had failed every single test Dumbledore had given her, stating that "he would die to one of his own, one that he had every trust in." Dumbledore did not lightly give his trust out, no matter what appearances may be; the only people he truly trusted in were those that had tried to earn his trust, with those that had been given a second chance and had not wasted it. He was just turning to leave when he heard a deep voice behind him, completely unlike the Trelawney he had talked to before…

**_"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies …"_**

Then, she collapsed, leaving but a shocked Dumbledore. Albus had almost regained his bearings before Aberforth, his brother, burst in through the door.

"Er, sorry, Headmaster," he said coolly. "It would seem that this scum" - he grunted for a second before hoisting up a young man in dark robes - "was spying at your door, listening to your interview. What should I do with him?"

"Let him leave, Aberforth," Dumbledore replied. One Dumbledore stood there, in deep contemplation, as the other one grabbed a wizard by the scruff of his robes and threw him out the door.

The implications were simply horrifying. The prophecy mentioned one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord… Voldemort, perhaps?… parents who had thrice defied him… in combat, and in refusing the Mark… born as the seventh month dies… July 30 - 31st… mark him as his equal?… power the Dark Lord knows not… knows not… power… love?… either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… that meant, in the end, one of them needed to kill the other. Suddenly, Albus realized who the man in black robes had been. Severus Snape, a known Death Eater. He rushed down the stairs after hastily concluding the interview with Trelawney, who simply seemed dazed and ignorant, and ran to the Hog's Head's bartender.

"Aberforth, how much of the prophecy did Severus hear?"

"Prophecy?" Albus gave his brother a look, and Aberforth nonchalantly replied, "Yes, Albus, I'm not daft. To answer your question... around the 'seventh month dies' part." Albus sagged a little in relief before tensing up again. That meant that Voldemort would not know that to attack the child was to give him a power… what kind of power?…, and would most likely go ahead and attack those with the criteria. Who did he know that fit the prophecy? James and Lily had fought Voldemort thrice, and so had Frank and Alice. He would have to go to each of the couples, warn them, and set up the most powerful protections possible. The question was, would he tell them everything, or just the bare minimum? Albus pondered this as he turned on the spot, Disapparating.

O

"James," Dumbledore said, "We need to immediately put you under protection. You and Lily, as well as Frank and Alice, fit the criteria. Since Voldemort doesn't know attacking your families would be most likely suicidal, he is likely to strike soon. We must put the Fidelius Charm over both your dwellings."

James' head was spinning as he collapsed into a chair, grabbing Lily's hand and holding onto it tightly. "You say that this nutter is going to come after Harry and Lily?"

"I would not use 'nutter' so lightly, James, but in essentials, yes."

"And who told this prophecy to him?"

"Severus Snape."

James boiled inside with anger and revulsion at the man. Could he not leave the Potters alone? Why did he continually try to antagonize them, try to verbally hurt Lily and assault James at every opportunity? James knew that he had started a lot of the fights, and had retaliated in an immature and vengeful manner, but he had grown out of it, and had even offered an apology.

"Sorry, Severus," he had said. "I acted… well… like a great prat, all these years, and I'm sorry for it. I really am. I know that it's not really your fault" - James had had to lie through the skin of his teeth here - "so, I just wanted to apologize. Shake?" he had finished.

In response, Severus had spit at his feet. "I bet Lily" - punctuating the word with a sneer - "put you up to this. And I won't accept an apology, you dirty little blood traitor. Get away from me."

With that, Snape had left. James broke out of those memories with Lily's touch.

"James, have you been listening at all to what Albus has been saying?" she said, concerned.

"Yeah," he barely managed to say. "I have. So, Secret-Keeper… Secret-Keeper… how about Sirius?"

Dumbledore looked slightly alarmed. "James, I am more than willing to fill this role. Actually, you could also be Secret-Keeper. This way, you could ensure your safety."

"No," he said. "I trust Sirius with my life - he should be Secret-Keeper."

"Very well, then," Dumbledore replied. "Please, Floo-Call Sirius. As the Muggles say, let's get this show on the road."

O

"Fidelius, do you accept this dwelling under your protection?"

A bright green glow was the response to Dumbledore's question.

"James Charlus Potter, do you trust Sirius Orion Black with your life?"

"Yes," he responded.

"Sirius Orion Black, do you accept James Charlus Potter's Secret, and promise to keep it safe from all those willing to harm him with your life?"

"I do."

"Very well then. The Fidelius has been done."

The bright green glow faded, leaving three men standing in front of what appeared to be an empty lot.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said. He quickly grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote down something onto it. He then cast a Replicating Charm a couple times, handing a sheet to Lily, Dumbledore, and Remus, who had been witnessing the proceedings.

"Alright, that leaves one for Peter," Sirius said. "Jeez, is it just me, or did this whole ceremony thing feel like a wedding?"

As the Marauders began to crack up, Dumbledore was seriously contemplating whether this arrangement would work out. He then, as a final security measure, began to set up wards to stall Voldemort, preventing those with Dark Marks from entering the dwellings, general protection enchantments, and spells to recognize and deter general Dark Magic users. He then linked all of the wards to a central alarm, which he linked to James, Sirius, and Remus.

Albus grabbed the arms of the laughing men and quickly ushered them into the home, where Lily was waiting.

"Did it work?" she anxiously asked.

"Why, yes it did, honey." James leaned in for a kiss when Sirius suddenly stuck his hand in between the two.

"Now, no doe eyes right now," he warned jokingly.

"Sirius, you prat!" Lily swung her fist at Sirius, who yelped and massaged his arm.

"Jeez, Lily, that hurt…"

"It was supposed to," she said rather coldly. She then leaned in to James and gave him a tender kiss before asking, "So… what do you want for dinner?"

The men all began to clamor and aruge in what ended up as a giant enchanted pillow fight. In the confusion and chaos of young wizards and a witch enjoying what little fun they could have, Albus quietly Disapparated away. For, how could he begrudge them this little moment of joy?


	2. Chapter 2: Padfoot

**Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry Potter, not me. However, I own the plot of the story.**

Chapter 1: Padfoot

Remus knocked on the door of Padfoot's apartment again. It was located over the Leaky Cauldron, which was emitting a rather large amount of noise. Some child was having their birthday party downstairs, which was rather dangerous in the current political climate. However, Padfoot could not, and would not ignore Remus' knocking five times in a row. Unless…

A horrible thought just struck Remus' mind. What if Voldemort had found out who the Secret-Keeper had been… could he possibly have extracted the information?

Remus knocked once more, and, finding a lack of response, stood back and shouted, "Bombarda!"

The door shook a little, but did not collapse. Obviously, someone after Padfoot had warded it against Remus' magic.

"Bombarda Maxima!" Remus cried in desperation.

The door exploded, sending fragments of wood flying through the air. Remus distinctly heard the party stop downstairs, a couple of cries and screams coming from that general direction, but he ignored them all and cautiously stepped into the apartment.

Sirius was there - but so was Voldemort and a dozen Death Eaters. Sirius was gagged, tied up, and being tortured as the rest of the Death Eaters watched. However, one of them had heard the noise, and turned around to find Remus jumping for cover and hurling hexes.

"Diffindo! Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Diffindo! Reducto!" Remus shouted. He saw Sirius being put in chains and Voldemort continuing to torture him, but he could not, for the life of him, spare a second to cast an Alohomora. He was too busy trying to keep the Death Eaters from killing him, after all.

"Avada Kedavra!" one snarled. Remus' makeshift shelter exploded as he flew back towards the wall, dizzy and dazed. He quickly reached for his wand and cast the first spell that came to his mind - "Lumos Maxima!"

A bright, burning light filled the room and blinded all of those within. Remus, exhausted magically and physically, slumped to the ground as Voldemort grabbed his prisoner, signaled to his Death Eaters to retreat, and Disapparated. The last thing he heard was a defiant, "Marauders forever!"

And it sure as hell wasn't coming from Remus.

O

A week later, James, Remus, and Peter stood in front of Sirius' memorial. They had not been able to recover the body, but simply assumed that, since he had been taken by Voldemort for over five days, he was dead. No one ever lived that long in the Dark Lord's hands.

"Why, Padfoot!" cried James. "You left us all alone! And it's all my fault!" James broke down sobbing again. Remus, pale as well, grabbed James' arm and held him upright. Peter stood there too, shell-shocked at what had transpired. When Peter had joined up with the Death Eaters, two years ago, he had been promised that the Potters, Sirius, and Remus would be untouchable - completely immune from Death Eater attack. And yet, he realized, now, Sirius was dead, James and Lily were being targeted, and Remus had almost died. But, how could he tell his friends that it was his fault that Sirius had gone?

Peter took a deep, steadying breath. No matter how foolish he had been, what ideals he had believed in, how close the bonds were, stronger than the ones between brothers - it was time.

"James. Remus. I - I'm a spy. For Voldemort."

James simply turned around, incredulous, and Remus stood there like the stone obelisk he was looking at.

"It's my fault that Sirius is dead. And - and - I'm sorry!" He broke down into tears. "I just wanted to keep you safe! He promised to me - he promised to keep you all safe! Amnesty and protection! I knew that, then, no matter what side won, we would be safe!"

"Peter," Remus said, his voice like steel. "We were supposed to be brothers, there for each other always. And you broke that brotherly bond, and betrayed us all. And yet," he gestured helplessly, "how can I go and break it, too? Sirius is dead, and now it's us three. I think that you've - you've learned your lesson."

"Yeah, you should have," James said. His voice sounded sickly, and it almost drove Peter mad with regret and pain. "And I hope you will. But," he said, stronger, "we're still brothers forever. We stand strong together. Always."

Peter stood there, shell-shocked. How could these men forgive him for his heinous crime? He had killed their friend - his friend, too! He had conspired with the enemy! How could they look at him without disgust and revulsion?!

Remus smiled slightly, almost as if he was reading Peter's mind. "Peter, we're still friends. And no matter what you think, you're still brave inside. It takes a different kind of courage to sacrifice everything you have for others - and yes, that's what you did, even if it didn't work. We're still brothers. We're still brothers."

Remus then pulled Peter and James in, and the men shared a group hug before Disapparated.

That is, until alarm bells began to ring in James' head.

"Shit!" he cursed. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! Voldemort found us! How? It doesn't matter! We've got to go!"

"I'm sorry, James, but it's almost the full moon - I'm too weak."

Peter took a deep breath, taking the tattered threads of his courage and his soul and putting them back together. "Let's go, James. Time to Disapparate."

All of the men turned on the spot, each to their own respective location.

O

"You can run, but you can't hide!" cackled Voldemort rather evilly. "Silly girl, it will end quickly! Just give me the boy!" His voice was now slightly colored with anger.

Lily dashed up the stairs of the cottage, not bothering to glance back. She instinctively jumped to the right, dodging a curse, before continuing up the stairs. She bounded up the top and sprinted into the nursery. It was then she realized that she was trapped.

"Now, give me the boy. It will end quickly for him - painlessly -"

She had almost given up in despair. Then, James and Peter arrived. The duo crashed down in front of her and immediately began hurling hexes, spells, and jinxes. Voldemort was forced to shield himself before retaliating with an Avada Kedavra.

Peter jumped behind the nearest cover, a crib, while James grabbed Lily and ducked behind a bookshelf. It was futile, he realized, trying to fight back against Voldemort. A Bombarda Curse destroyed his shelter, forcing him to dive towards another bookcase. Voldemort began to hex that one too, laughing coldly while doing it.

Peter knew that there was only one way that the others would even have a chance of surviving. He had read it in a book, something about sacrificial protection, and he knew that if he sacrificed himself for someone he loved, they would be untouchable by the killer. Peter thought that wasn't a bad way to die - protecting his friends, just like they had promised each other, that fateful day four years ago. Peter held his head high and stepped from his shelter.

"Come on, old Voldy, hex me!" he taunted, his voice quivering just a little bit.

Voldemort snarled and uttered, "Avada Kedavra!" as Lily screamed and ran towards him. It was too late though - the rushing noise accompanied a jet of green light, which jerked the soul from Peter's body and sent it upwards, towards Heaven.

"No! Peter!" Lily cried, running towards and cradling Wormtail's corpse. And in her confusion…

She left a wide open spot in her arms, exposing Harry…

Voldemort noticed and held up his wand…

"Avada Kedavra!" he cast triumphantly.

The jet of green light…

The rushing sound…

The curse sailed towards and hit Harry.

And then, time froze for just a second as James and Lily's world effectively ended - or so they thought.

And the baby, upset at what was happening - his Uncle Wormy wasn't getting up - grabbed the floating jet of green light from his forehead, leaving a lightning bolt shaped scar, and sent it back towards the evil man in those weird, billowing, clothes, who promptly collapsed to the floor.

Lord Voldemort was dead.

And then, time sped back up.


End file.
